


Pyrite

by gallifvrey



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: (in the sense of timeless child things), (kind of - this explores baby doctor), Child Abuse, Episode: s12e10 The Timeless Children, Gen, author tries to be weirdly exploratory with their writing, fairytale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:46:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gallifvrey/pseuds/gallifvrey
Summary: There once was a child that was scared and alone. This child was saved by the generosity of a woman who came and rescued them.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 22





	Pyrite

**Author's Note:**

> this is, objectively, a bit oddly written. I hope it makes sense to someone other than me. I had the idea and then blacked out in a writing frenzy and didn't stop until this was written. What can you do, yknow?  
> (This wasn't beta read or even proof read. Sorry.)

Once upon a time, there was a child.

Once upon a time, 

Once upon a time,

Once upon a time,

_We’re all stories in the end_.

Once upon a time, there was a child, and that child was left alone, and they were so very, scared. 

The child was alone and scared and they knew no one, and they were lost. 

_You never interfere in the affairs of other people or planets unless there’s children crying?_

This child was alone and scared and they didn’t know where to go, until suddenly, there was someone. They didn’t know much, but they were alone and she looked so very friendly. And when she reached out her hand, they took it, and then they were gone.

This child lived a happy life, in the beginning. This new planet was full of new experiences and new people to meet and they were always so excited to make new friends. Everyone seemed so friendly, after all. At some point, they made a friend, and they never left each other’s sides. Inseparable. 

They used to run along those fields for miles.

\-- 

Once upon a time, there was a king who wished that everything he touched could turn to gold. 

You know the story.

Once upon a time everything this King touched would turn to gold and he was happy, until he died, for any food that touched his lips would turn to gold. 

There once was a King whose greed brought upon his own demise, and when his beloved daughter saw him suffer, she simply wanted to comfort him. There once was a King whose greed murdered his daughter.

Once upon a time there was a King, and well, who could blame him, when tempted with such fortune. 

\-- 

There once was a child that was scared and alone. This child was saved by the generosity of a woman who came and rescued them.

This child was stolen.

This woman discovered a wonderful secret about this child. It had been a worthy investment after all, piling hope and trust onto this child, saving them, for she was going to be the best of the land. She would be able to save her people.

In the right circumstances, this child’s blood turned to gold and they were reborn anew. 

_Burning the old me to make a new one._

They were burned and from the fires like a phoenix they would grow. 

_Even if I change it feels like dying._

There was a child and the memories of their home world were foggy and unfamiliar; this new place was their home. They had a lovely mother who cared for them very much.

_King Midas reached down and hugged his daughter, seeking comfort from her touch. She turned to gold in his arms._

This child was scared, but they trusted their mother very much and knew that what she was doing was for the best. She would explain it in soft terms, 

_“You are saving so many lives, my dear.”_

And the child tried to remember that when they would lie awake at night, memories too scattered between bodies that it was becoming hard to keep track. Their dreams became bright flashes of information, sharp and stabbing pain. They would wake up with tears streaking down their face. 

The woman loved her child very much, but she craved power and knowledge more than anything, and well, in enough time, anything can be forgotten. 

_He doesn't want the others to hear him crying._

They were told, sometimes, how what they were doing was saving lives. That the Time Lords, as they were called now, were able to win many more wars, discover more, live longer, because of what this child provided.

Rather, what was taken from the child.

_There's this moment when you're sure you're about to die and then... you're born. It's terrifying._

When finally this liquid gold was isolated, that all those that deserved it were able to take it, the child was finally free. But their mother no longer had any interest in them, as there were many more interesting things to do. 

She did, after all, have so much power now.

The child grew older, then. Slowly and in the right order. They grew comfortable with their body, and they were able to begin forging their own path, their own story. They were not anonymous - their powers were well documented and their existence a blessing to all. 

They were able to use this at first to explore, were sent on missions to explore new civilizations, to bring back technology that could be used, to take and take and take. 

The child did not like this, but they knew that this world had saved them, and so of course, they must repay them as well. They were only so young.

As they grew older, the child learned more of the power they held. Since after all, their supply of it was endless. For the others, it was not.

\--

It is possible to transmute lead into gold. Through nuclear transfusion, the lead alloys are able to gain the necessary protons in order to turn into gold. This process is highly intensive for resources, time, and energy. In return, there are only microscopic specks of gold - the cost required far exceeds any benefit.

Through the same process, it is far easier to transmute gold into lead. After all, it’s easier to lose than to gain. 

\--

It didn’t take long before the child grew reckless, and bold, and even sometimes a little bit angry. There was so much to see in this universe, the universe which was still so very new to them. And they just wanted to learn, to experience, and to explore.

Wouldn’t their mother understand the pursuit of knowledge? They had only learned from the best, after all.

It didn’t take long before the others got wary, and nervous, and sometimes a little bit scared. Their world was so carefully crafted on balance, and their child sought to bring it all down. 

Or so they thought, at least. 

And thoughts are the most dangerous weapon.

The others crafted a plan, and they thought it was a very good plan, and it would have worked, other than they could never foresee their own demise. It would keep this secret buried and then no one would know. And the child would stay in their home, and not run away and destroy their planet.

_There once was a man who was a police officer, and he simply wanted to help others._

This plan was clever, and who could blame them for being clever, when their plan would obviously work, there was no doubt.

_This man was abandoned as a baby, but his family adopted him and he grew up loved and accepted by them all. He knew since he was a child, that all he wanted to do was help other people._

The others were strong, and clever, and knew how to find the child, for all that the child thought they could hide, there was always someone watching.

_One day, when he is chasing after someone who had stolen something, he is shot and he falls down the side of a cliff, but he survives. He is very lucky, after all._

The child was alone, they were always alone, their stories were greater than they were, and there were no others who wanted to be seen with them. The Others made sure of that. There is no need for luck if there is complete certainty.

_He becomes a police officer soon afterwards, for he always wanted to help others, and give back to the community that raised him._

They do not want to stay on the planet, their mind is always looking ahead to what the rest of the universe could create. Haven’t they done enough, they have died, haven’t they done enough?

_He hardly ever takes a break, the job is far too important to him. He works and is helpful, he is useful. The community needs him, while his body is still strong and able to protect them. He is saving so many lives._

The Others know when to find them, they are always alone and they are always kept busy. They do not have anywhere else to go, they have no help, and they have no support. It is long since their mother has left them.

_He works until the day that he retires. But then, he is no longer useful to the community. He is no longer needed, and his existence is taking up valuable resources. The cost of his life is greater than it’s gain, and that is all that it is._

There is no fanfare, since after all, that would alert the child to what was happening, and then they might run. This is in the child’s best interest, after all. They are just protecting them, since they do not know what it is like.

They are protecting themselves, because the child is so strong, but no one has to know that. 

They are not known as the most advanced civilization in the universe without the ability to alter memories. They are not so advanced that they can do so without the person noticing. This is a delicate operation, they tie the child to the table and begin their work.

It is a delicate operation, and requires someone with intimate knowledge of how the child works, especially with their biology so strange.

The child does not know what is happening, they are still so young, forced to live so many lifetimes. They are in the same room where they had spent so long as a child, but the faces around them were all the people they were taught to trust. 

_Thank you for your service._

There is a sharp, stabbing pain. Their memories flood through them like bursts of light. It is painful and it is blinding and it is all encompassing. 

They hear themselves screaming, and screaming, and for one moment, they can breathe, and see clearly, and they see the face of their mother. Looking so distraught that all they want to do is reach out and hug her.

_The daughter reaches towards her father and as soon as he touches her she turns to gold._

Their world goes dark.

_I don’t want to go._

_Even if I change it feels like dying_

_Everything I am dies_

**Author's Note:**

> the weird bit that started going into nuclear physics?? that parts 100% not real science. it's not even good fake science! it was birthed from reading one (1) line of a wikipedia article and then being like "hey, i study physics! i could make smth up about this" but no! instead i wrote something and was like Well I Know This Doesn't Work, but i dont know enough nuclear physics to be able to write it in a concise matter. I hope that piece wasn't enough to ruin this story for you.


End file.
